The Virtuosic Fool: Final
by James Is a British Name
Summary: Statistics play a large part in the Shinobi world. The question is, do you follow statisitcs and play it safe, or do you follow your heart and risk it all? A change in the wind results in a waving flag for Shikamaru. EDITED VERSION


**The Virtuosic Fool**

_Virtuoso_

_— **n **, pl **-sos **, **-si **1. a consummate master of musical technique and artistry 2. a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity 3. a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects 4. obsolete a scholar or savant 5. ( modifier ) showing masterly skill or brilliance: _a virtuoso performance

_1620, "scholar, connoisseur," from It. virtuoso (pl. virtuosi ), noun use of adj. meaning "skilled, learned, of exceptional worth," from L.L. virtuosus (see virtuous). Meaning "person with great skill" (as in music) is first attested 1743._

**Chapter 1: Brother and Sister **

Women, Nara Shikamaru honestly didn't understand them. They acted in unpredictable ways, and unpredictable ways were not acceptable for a male member of the Nara clan... unpredictable women usually led to a lifetime of 'sorries' and sleeping on the couch. Yamanaka Ino was one such unpredictable woman. It was one thing to mourn the death of a friend or pet, but a plant? Shikamaru feared that with this new development of emotional depth Ino might've finally lost it.

"Ino," he sighed deeply, a cross look fanning across his face, "It's not that big a deal if a few of your plants died while you were on a mission. It happens."

Ino frowned at him as she smoothed some of the dried up leaves, a small pout that other men would've found adorable, but Shika just found irritating. "Of course you wouldn't understand Shikamaru; you don't give a damn about anything except shogi and go." Ino said angrily, "My plants are my life." She thrust her dead plants into Shikamaru's face as if to accentuate what she said. "My _life_."

Cooly Shikamaru pressed the pot away from his face, "Language." he warned, before continuing. "They're a few plants, you can grow more. It's not like you family doesn't own a flower shop."

Ino heaved a frustrated sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you? Having a plant die is like having a friend die! Each plant has it's own personality and spirit, one can never replace another!" She flicked her hair over her shoulder, almost as if to add dignity to what she'd said.

She was this attached to few roots and buds. Shikamaru rolled his eyes to the ceiling and prayed that Ino would realize how stupid she sounded. "It's a plant, not a person Ino." He briefly watched her under hooded eyes, praying to Kami that she didn't throw the porcelain pot at his head.

"Shut up!" She moved to cover her other flowers from him, "They'll hear you!" Shikamaru let out a deeply irritated huff of air as he watched her incredulously. "Are you serious?" he asked her.

Ino glared at him, "It's been scientifically proven that if you talk to plants, they grow faster Shikamaru. Which means they can hear everything we're saying right now- which means you need to watch yourself." She paused for a minute, "It's a good thing _you_ weren't the one born into the Yamanaka clan, you'd kill all of the flowers from laziness and lack of faith!"

Shikamaru looked at her with a dry expression, "I can not believe you." he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose after he caught a glimpse of the dirty look she sent him. "If it's that big of a deal then you should have someone watch them while you're gone."

Ino shook her head absently and looked at him, "Who?" she asked, "Everyone's always so busy these days."

Shikamaru decided not to answer, he figured she knew what he was thinking but wouldn't say.

"I know you'd do it if I asked, but I feel like that would be placing a burden on you. All you'd say to me for the few weeks afterwards would be _'What a drag...'_." She mimicked Shikamaru with a deep voice that sounded a bit hoarse. "I don't like the feeling of owing anyone anyways."

Shikamaru only grunted in response. Ino took that as a sound of agreement.

Pensively, Ino put down the ceramic pot holding the bleeding hearts. She dug her hand into the dirt and pulled the plant out from the roots, before moving to the sliding glass door leading to her porch, which she promptly opened and threw the plants out of. Someone yelped in the streets as plants rained from the sky. Ino dusted her hands off, frowned, and ignored the complaining person.

Shikamaru just sighed and watched her silently, before putting his head down on the tiled bartop and closing his eyes. _Some sweet funeral for her 'friends'_, _she'd better not do that with me when I die_. He thought, his eyebrow twitching slightly.

Stepping back inside to the small apartment Ino closed the door behind her. "What was it you were here for anyway Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru peeked at her over his crossed arms. "Nothing, Choji was just wondering if you wanted to do anything for dinner tonight." readjusting himself, Shikamaru leaned on his splayed out arms. The cool tile bit at the underside of his arms.

Ino glanced over at him while trying to lock the glass door back. "Tonight?" She asked, fidgeting some more with small knob. "Will you help me?"

Blankly, Shikamaru stood up from his perch at her kitchen bar and walked towards the troublesome door. Ino moved away as he moved towards her, without realizing. He reached out to turn the knob and flicked it down with ease.

"Seriously?" Shikamaru said, glancing at Ino from the corner of his eye. "Is there a reason you had me get up from my seat?"

Ino picked at her nails distractedly and shook her head, "I just thought you looked a little too comfortable."

Shikamaru glared at her silently while moving back into the center of her apartment. Ino tried not laugh at his sullen expression.

"Tonight?" Ino asked again, as Shikamaru went to lay face down on her couch. Ino refrained from smacking the back of his head as she headed towards her kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Shikamaru grunted from the other room and in response Ino asked, "I'm sorry what was that?"

"Geeze Ino, yes tonight!" Shikamaru said briefly lifting his face from Ino's couch pillow. When he returned to the warm cavern of fluff he couldn't help but notice it smelled like her, fruity and floral. "I'm recognizing this _pig's_ scent. I need to get a girlfriend." he muttered to himself.

"Did I just hear you say you got a girlfriend?" Ino said walking back into the den with a hopeful expression on her face, before sitting on the couches arm. She played with the idea of sitting on the actual couch for a moment and then decided- _Fuck what Shikamaru thinks._

"Need to get one." Shikamaru said, not moving from his position when he felt the brief dip of cushions.

He felt Ino pick up his legs and sit on the couch, before placing them on her lap. "Boundaries." Shikamaru muttered, Ino really needed to learn what was acceptable in society and what wasn't.

"Forget 'em." Ino replied. She glanced down as Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably on her lap before settling in the nook where her stomach met her thighs. She was surprised that he had the gaul.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to sit up and get in her face just so that she would see him roll his eyes. " You know, for a girl whose so obsessed with boys you're not very cute." he said instead, leaning up on his arm. He watched her with a certain warmth in his eyes, only Ino could be so _irritating_ and it not really bother him.

"When you're involved cute leaves the building." Ino said quietly, leaning her head back and breathing through her mouth, her glass of water rested in her right hand.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Shikamaru said, turning his head to glance at her. She'd let her hair down, the crisp sunlight from the fall sunset made it sparkle, and Shikamaru admired it silently for a minute before thinking to himself. _That's a liablility._

Ino rolled her head to the side and barely lifted her lashes to look at him. "No."

Shikamaru watched her for a few moments. "Well it sounded like one." he replied, quickly adding on, "You really need to cut your hair. Someone's going to end up using it against you when you're out on a mission."

Ino sighed tiredly and nodded, "I know."

Shikamaru gave her a dry, questioning look. "If you know then why haven't you done it?"

Ino glanced over at Shikamaru once more, a lingering gaze that made Shikamaru feel uncomfortable. She looked as though she was measuring him up. "Just because."

Shikamaru made a noise as he went to bury himself in her pillows again, "Ah, you are the most irritating person."

Ino didn't answer him and a few moments of companionable silence followed. She relaxed in the couch, her muscles slowly releasing all the tension from the days training while she also watched Shikamaru sprawled across her couch and lap, he looked so at ease. She wondered if he felt comfortable enough to let her get as close as she wanted to with him, or if he was just too lazy to push her away. She figured the latter.

Shikamaru had started to fall asleep when Ino broke the silence, "Where are we going to dinner?"

Groggily Shikamaru turned to her and yawned as he answered, "I have no clue, Choji just said he wanted to get some dinner."

"Cover your mouth." Ino said as she set her glass down on her coffee table, "I guess that means Choji's deciding."

Shikamaru scoffed as he retaliated with, "Yeah, and I guess that means I'm paying."

Ino smiled as she looked over at him, "See, that's why I love you so much Shikamaru." Her sky blue eyes twinkled in the light.

Shikamaru just cast her a sarcastic smile, "The feeling is mutual."

Ino narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before lifting his legs off her lap. "It's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend with that attitude." she rose from the couch and put his feet back down in her place, Shikamaru's eyes closed when his legs hit the warm place where she had been sitting. _Warmth_, _Kami why must I evade sleep when it calls so enticingly to me? It's not natural._

"It's not like I've been trying." Shikamaru answered, "Women are troublesome."

Ino snorted, "I think you're just afraid."

Shikamaru looked at her with an irritatingly concerned expression. "That wasn't very ladylike." His brown eyes were staring at her openly, Ino thought it was very unnerving. Sometimes she couldn't help but think that Shikamaru had the eyes of a pervert, what with the way they were always half-lidded or squinting.

"When you're involved ladylikeness leaves the building." Ino said, repeating the words she said before.

Shikamaru ignored her and went on. "I think you need a boyfriend. Remind you that you're a girl." he sat up from his position on the couch and scratched at the back of his neck. A few stray hairs fell out from the back of his ponytail, but he let them be, too lazy to fix it.

Ino watched him from her standing position. "I know very well that I'm a girl. I think you just choose to overlook it sometimes."

Shikamaru grimaced and stood and walked towards the door. Without realizing the implication it left he said, "I _wish_ I could forget you were a girl." Opening her front door he stepped out, when he didn't hear her following he looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Ino's sweet blue eyes never left his as she stepped forward, "I know, I'm too beautiful for you to ignore Shikamaru. I think we should just drop the pretenses and have sex, right now."

Shikamaru didn't show a hint of surprise, though it did take him a moment longer to form a response. Different scenario's ran through his head, all of which included him and the very blond, very beautiful kunoichi. "Excuse me?" he said slowly.

Ino burst out laughing, "You should've seen your face!" She clutched at her middle and kept laughing, "Oh wow, oh wow, that was good. Ah, that was good. I needed that." Ino wiped at a tear that was forming at the corner of her cerulean eyes.

"Mah, Ino seriously, saying things like that will get you into trouble." Shikamaru said, a frown forming on his face at record speed.

"You're one to talk! Saying things like 'I _wish_ I could forget you were a girl." Ino said, looking at him with mirth in her eyes. "You do know what that sounds like right?"

Shikamaru sent her a blank stare.

"Oh Kami, you don't, do you?" There was a moment's silence. "It's practically like you're admitting you're attracted to me." Ino continued, smiling from ear to ear. The idea was too sweet to let go of, Shikamaru _actually_ admitting he was attracted to her.

A look of disgust crossed Shikamaru's face, "Definitely not." he said, shaking his head at the thought.

Ino's smile fell, "Well there's no reason to be rude about it."

"I'm not being rude, I'm being honest." Shikamaru said walking further outside of her door, Ino followed him quickly and shut the door behind her. "Just the idea of _kissing_ you makes me want to throw up."

Ino tried not to look too hurt, "Well it doesn't exactly turn me on either, but I don't make disgusted faces like that." she tugged at a loose thread on her top, scowling when the thread just grew longer.

Shikamaru looked over at her, his hands in his pockets, and sighed when he noticed her hurt expression. "Listen Ino, you're like my sister, it's not that you're not pretty."

Ino glanced at him sharply, "It sounds like you're trying to let me down easy. Don't get the wrong idea Shikamaru, I don't _like_ you." she dropped the thread she had been fingering.

"I can't say anything right with you, can I?" Shikamaru asked, exasperated.

"Aparently not. I think you just get tongue tied by my intimidating beauty." Ino said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder, she'd decided to leave it down.

Shikamaru led her down the steps and in the direction of Choji's home. Ino followed quietly behind him, making mean faces to his back the entire time.

They walked in companionable silence, Shikamaru deciding to ignore her last comment. The sun was setting on Konoha and it was fall, leaves littered the streets, crunching beneath their feet. Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the warm feeling of friendship humming between them. It wasn't uncommon that silence's like this fell with them. Shikamaru liked to protect his wedding tackles with all his might, and Ino had a bad habit of knocking him wherever she could when she got angry. Which seemed to be garunteed whenever he spoke with her.

Ino liked the silence too, whenever Ino went out with Choji the sounds of plastic bags and crunching chips always came along as well, and with Sakura the girls were always either laughing at some unfunny joke or talking non-stop, constantly cutting each other off, anxious to get their words out to the other. It was one of the things that Ino admired most about Shikamaru, he knew how to keep company as well as keep quiet.

Though with the silence, it often led to too much thinking, at least on Ino's part. The comments earlier made by Shikamaru rang through her consciousness with alarming clarity, she knew that they were just friends and she was fine with that, but Ino didn't like to be dubbed as the 'sisterly' friend- it was too final. Ino liked to have some chance with every guy in the village, and 'sister' status definitly rang unavailable. Not to mention should Shikamaru not like the guy she _did_ end up with, did that mean he would be overprotective?

Maybe it was her hair, he'd mentioned it earlier, said she needed to cut it. Ino thought guys liked longer hair, something about the way it lay across pillows, did that mean Shikamaru didn't like it? _Should_ she cut it?

"Do you really think I need to cut my hair?" Ino asked, looking at him with a worried expression.

Shikamaru hated when she asked him things like this. "Yes Ino, it's a liability."

Ino shook her head, "No, I mean, does it look bad?"

This was probably the only thing that Shikamaru _really_ didn't like about Ino, at least off the top of his head, she tried to impress everyone too much. "Ino," he sighed, "It doesn't look bad. I just think you need to cut it, how does looking bad compare to being dead?"

Ino nodded, silently contemplating. Would she still be Ino if she cut her hair? For some reason she got the idea that she wouldn't be, plus she didn't want Forehead to get the idea that she was a trendsetter. "I don't know Shikamaru. My hair's what makes me, well, me." Ino said, casting him a sideways glance.

Shikamaru's eyes closed in annoyance, another irritating thing about Ino, she had confidence in the most shallow of aspects. "Whatever." Shikamaru didn't want to be the one to start the 'You are You' lecture on Ino, he'd leave sappy things like that to Sakura, or Kurenai, or even Choji, just anyone but himself.

Ino pouted, "I want your opinion Shikamaru."

"I already gave you my opinion Ino." Shikamaru said, walking through the gates to Choji's home. Choji's mother waved to them from the garden and they waved back simultaneously.

"I know, but I want to know if you think I'd look better with shorter hair." Ino said, fingering the white blond strands.

Shikamaru cast her an incredulous look over his shoulder. "Seriously Ino? _I don't know_ if you'd look better with-"

"Hi kids!" Choji's mother cut him off, and he turned to her with a surprised smile. Shikamaru always had the best of manners to parents, except for his own.

"Hello Mrs. Akimichi." Ino said with a small smile.

"Choji's inside, on your way out make sure not to wake Chouza. He just got back from a mission." Choji's mother said with a happy smile.

"Of course Mrs. Akimichi." Shikamaru said, waving goodbye as they stepped closer to the house. She returned the wave, before going back to her garden.

"I love her, she's always so nice." Ino said, glancing back at her one more time.

Shikamaru opened the door and held it for Ino, "As I was saying, I don't know if you should cut your hair Ino."

Ino rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her as she stepped in and followed Shikamaru to Choji's room. "Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure you have some idea of whether or not I'd look good with short hair."

Shikamaru gave a long sigh as he stepped into Choji's room, Choji smiled upon seeing them enter but his smile fell quickly as he noticed the annoyed expressions on both their faces. "What's up?"

"Ino wants to cut her-" Shikmaru started, "Shikamaru won't give me his-" Ino said at the same time.

Choji rose an eyebrow in questioning, "Huh?"

Shikamaru glanced at Ino before starting, "Ino wants to know what I think she'd look like with short hair, and I keep telling her that I _don't know_."

Choji looked at Ino quickly, "Seriously?" he asked, his mouth falling open, a bag of chips forgotten beside him and the T.V. relaying instructions on how to make an Unagi dish rather loudly. "Your hair hasn't been cut in _years_ Ino, why are you asking about it now?"

Ino glanced to Shikamaru, and Shikamaru boredly glanced at the television. "No reason, I just thought maybe it was time for a change."

Choji knew that couldn't be right, Ino would never cut her hair without a good reason- she'd spent long enough trying to grow it out, but he kept his mouth shut and instead just answered with, "You wouldn't be you, Ino. It's like your thing." a smile crossed his face at the odd image of Ino with a bob.

Ino smiled, "Thank you."

Shikamaru ignored the tone in her voice, Choji picked up on the inflection but decided not to make anyone uncomfortable by asking why it was present. Instead he clapped his hands together, stood from his bed, and stretched his arms before stepping between his two best friends. He threw an arm across each of their shoulders, "I thought we'd go to this new place in town for dinner, you know, test the waters." a wide hungry smile overpowering his face.

Ino giggled as she glanced at Shikamaru across Choji's broad chest. "How much is 'testing the waters' going to cost me?" Shikamaru asked, glaring at the giggling blond.

"Not much." Choji said, winking at Ino.

Shikamaru's look of disdain was so strong that Ino had to pull away from Choji to calm her laughs.

* * *

><p>Two rather rambunctious Chunin's rounded the corner to Konoha's newest western restaurant, while one greatly annoyed Chunin following behind them quietly. They were known as Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru. The three were synonymous with each other, which surprised many of their fellow classmates. It wasn't so long ago that Ino had despised the two, looking down on them for their low grades. These days it seemed, the only one who could insult the two of them was herself, and only with the intent of a frustrated sister trying to make her point- which often came out sounding like a nagging mother bear.<p>

After joining Konoha as Chunin, it wasn't long until their faces were listed in the Bingo Books. At first, Choji and Ino had been surprised at the news, when Shikamaru explained the probable reasoning behind the listing though- they quickly understood.

None of them were too happy with the titles they had earned as soon as they heard of such actions.

As it would turn out, family titles went a long way in the Shinobi world. A fact that left an unpleasant taste in the mouths of many nin, but a fact none the less. In the case of Team 10, things were no different. Nara Shikaku was known throughout the hidden villages as Konoha's number one battle strategist- a title that, no doubt, would carry on to his son- and personal advisor to the Hokage. Yamanaka Inoichi was known as the Head of Konoha's Intelligence Division, a difficult title to obtain considering all S-Class jutsu necessary to carry out the job. While Akimichi Chouza was, well considered a threat just because wherever they went, he went (it definitely didn't have the pride-inducing ring to it- but it induced fear in enemies anyway.)

Due to such hyped-up family names and the future that they were predicted to play a part in, not to mention their respected responsibility to Konoha, Tsunade refrained from sending the team on the more dangerous of missions. Save for Shikamaru, she figured he'd been a Chunin long enough to know to run when best fit- unlike Yamanaka Ino, who was starting to act more and more like another blond shinobi who could never seem to refrain from calling her Obaa-Chan.

Ino, as Shikamaru expected, was the most unsettled by the constant 'down-talk' they fell victim to. She knew they were, for all intents and purposes, their own good. Unsurprisingly though, they only managed to rouse a fire within Ino that pushed her to train harder and more intensely than her teammates. Not to mention Shikamaru's growing reputation around the village as one of Konoha's most promising Chunin. Ino would be outshined by no one, especially a lazy ass like Shikamaru.

So as they stood in line to receive a seat in the bustling restaurant, it was no surprise that Shizune, Tsunade's assistant came running up to the trio and informed Shikamaru of a new mission that was, respectively, only his.

Shikamaru sighed deeply, cast Choji an apologetic look and raised a hand to Ino's shoulder. "Sorry guys. Duty calls."

Ino rolled her eyes in what Shikamaru knew was jealousy- though she played it off as annoyance- and Choji rose a hand in goodbye.

Jumping to the rooftops of Konoha's buildings, Shikamaru prepared for his meeting with the Hokage. Which no doubt, would lead to troublesome things.

* * *

><p>"The Chunin exams are about to start again. I'm sure you would like to resume the post you took before? After all, you did such a nice job last time, and if I remember correctly you and the Sand ambassador had a rather close relationship. Luckily it happens that the Chunin exams are going to take place <em>in<em> Sand this year." Tsunade said, not lifting her head from the paperwork on her desk. Absently, she rubbed at her forehead, trying to repress the hangover from last night's overindulgence.

"Ah, I don't know. It's a bit much, I was hoping a for a few weeks off." Shikamaru said scratching at the back of his neck and looking out the window next to her desk, as his eyes met hers though, he quickly took back his words. "But, I wouldn't mind I suppose. More time with Temari-san."

Tsunade nodded her head in approval, "Good." her eyes left his and Shikamaru's head dropped to his chest. _Ah, I was hoping to get some sleep._

"You leave tomorrow morning. The Suna Ambassador, Temari-san was it? She'll be guiding you around Sand." Tsunade said, fiercely scribbling in her paperwork. "I suppose, if you want, you can take along your teammates. I don't think I'll be having any missions for them for the next few weeks. If I do, I'll make sure to send a falcon to Suna for their return."

Shikamaru perked up at this, but still frowned heavily. _Temari,_ he thought to himself, _dear Kami._

"You're dismissed." Tsunade said, with a wave of her hand. "Oh, wait!" the lady Hokage ruffled through her desk before pulling out a scroll. "Make sure to give that to Ino, I'm sure she's been expecting it."

Shikamaru cast her a gloriously dull stare, "What is it?"

"It's the scroll notifying her that on her return to Konoha, she begins her position as a courting kunoichi." Tsunade looked up from her papers suspiciously, "Why?"

Shikamaru just shrugged and shook his head. Tsunade wasn't stupid, but she didn't want to get involved in an argument with one of the brightest shinobi Konoha had seen in a while, so she just left it. She figured, if it was something big enough to worry her then she would learn of it soon enough.

Shikamaru sighed as he left her office, and started down the steps back to the restaurant his friends were at. He couldn't believe that she had interrupted his dinner for that. _Honestly, couldn't she have just had Shizune ask me about it while I was with my friends?_

Shikamaru jumped from rooftop to rooftop quickly, for once hurrying and hoping to catch his friends before they finished.

_And this scroll for Ino... courting? Isn't she too young for that?_

About fifteen minutes later he arrived at the restaurant and told the hostess that two of his friends were inside already. She allowed him in, and he began his search for them. A few minutes later he found them sitting at the bar, eating what appeared to be cheeseburgers. Shikamaru cringed, he hated western food joints.

Ino giggled at something Choji said and nodded happily, wiping at mustard that lay at edge of her mouth. "Hey guys." Shikamaru said stepping up to them, before pulling out a seat next to Ino.

They turned to him surprised, "Hey!" they both said.

"What's your mission about?" Ino asked him, knowing that it was unlikely he had such a high ranking mission that he couldn't tell them. Shikamaru noticed that she was dipping seasoned fries in honey-mustard; he decided that it must've been her time of the month. No way would Ino eat fatty things like that without her craving them.

"Chunin exams. I leave in the morning. You guys want to come? Tsunade gave me the green light to ask if anyone wanted to accompany me." Shikamaru said, trying to flag down the waitress across the bar.

Ino nodded enthusiastically before he even finished asking. "Of course! I heard Naruto is going to be in this one. No doubt, he'll pummel all of the others, but I still want to see it happen."

Shikamaru looked at her, his eyebrows raised, "Yeah? Maybe it won't be so bad to go then."

Ino didn't ask him what would make it better, her or Naruto going, but she still wondered. "Wait," she said as it occurred to her, "Why wouldn't you want to go in the first place?"

Choji snickered; already fairly sure of what would make the trip so awful for Shikamaru. "Wait, wait, wait! Let me guess... she's the sister of the Kazekage and her name starts with a T."

Shikamaru dropped his head into his hands on the bar top. "Please don't remind me."

Ino rose an eyebrow, "A girl?"

Choji snickered, "A woman."

Shikamaru's grunt was muffled by his hands.

"What's so bad about her? Oh, wait! Isn't she the one who helped you with the Chunin exams last year? The kind of pretty one?" Ino asked, watching Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked up, "You think she's pretty?"

Ino shrugged nonchalantly, "She seems like the type that guys would think was sexy." Ino didn't show her frown. _Unlike me, _She thought to herself, _instead, all I get is 'cute'_.

Ino was proud of her beauty, more so than any of the other kunoichi's in the village, and she was proud of the fact that any day now the Hokage would be giving her espionage missions requiring her to act as a courtesan. She knew the difference in men and boys though, men wanted beauty and boys wanted sexy. Needless to say, as hot as Ino thought men were, she wanted boys- who would be happy to play with her a bit, instead of wanting to settle down. Ino didn't think she would ever be the type to settle down, shinobi life did that to a girl. Though she did occasionally toy with the thought of what she would want her wedding to be like.

Shikamaru scoffed, "That's a good way to put it."

Choji hummed his approval with his mouth full of chili cheese fries.

Ino studied her two teammates before turning to Shikamaru once more. "So what's wrong with her?"

Shikamaru sighed, thanking the waitress as she took his order. "Nothing is wrong with her, she's just annoying."

"Oh? Annoying like what?" Ino asked, sticking half eaten French fries up in a puddle of ketchup.

Shikamaru watched her, "I know you're mother told you not to play with your food, or, should I say that I know _my_ mother has told you not to play with your food?"

Ino glanced at him, irritated, "Stop changing the subject."

Shikamaru's hand shot out to grab hers to stop her from playing with her fries. "Stop playing with your food." he retorted smartly.

Ino laughed sarcastically, "And you call me annoying. Shikamaru, just tell me about the girl."

"Woman." Choji corrected.

Ino's blue eyes cut daggers in Choji's direction, but turned back to Shikamaru when he started talking.

"You two would make good friends." Shikamaru said, studying Ino's profile.

After a moments silence, Choji commented, "I can't see it. I get the feeling Temari-San would get too annoyed with Ino-Chan." though his mouth was full of fries and so it came out more like, 'I can'th shee ith. I geht the feehling Themari-Than wouldh geth thoo annoyed with Ino-Than.' Ino and Shikamaru had long since deciphered Choji talk, so they didn't even blink.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe so, Temari-San is a lot more mature."

Ino raised a fine eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Choji tapped on Ino's arm and she turned her attention back to him, he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Temari-San is like, four years older than us. I'm fairly sure that she and Shikamaru have a thing." Ino tried not to feel uncomfortable as Choji's warm breath fanned against her cheek, they were friends and it wasn't unlike friends to whisper to each other. Still, she didn't want to smell the onions on his breath.

Ino looked at Choji with both eyebrows raised and eyes wide, "Eh? Seriously? It's hard to imagine a girl actually _liking_ Shikamaru."

Choji laughed boisterously. "I wouldn't say that. As of recently, I'd say that Shikamaru has just as many fans in the village as Naruto. One in particular, what was her name again? Shiho?" he asked, looking across Ino to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded to him, staring down at what the menu had said was Fish and _Chips_. Those looked like French fries, not _chips_. Shikamaru sighed and slid a hand down his face. Ino watched him, bemused.

"How is it I've managed to miss all of these fan girls?" Ino asked, laughing as Shikamaru tried to figure out how to use his fork to cut the fish.

Choji turned to glance at Shikamaru as well, and laughed when he noticed Shikamaru glaring at the upside down fork. "You'd think a genius like Shikamaru would learn how to use a fork after going to all these western restaurants with us."

Shikamaru looked up at them, with an annoyed expression four times as scathing as the one he almost always wore. "You guys know I hate these types of restaurants."

Ino giggled, "Why do you think we come to them so often?" her blue eyes twinkled as she took in Shikamaru's blank stare filled with his everyday annoyance.

Shikamaru dropped his fork. "I give up."

Ino and Choji laughed at him openly. "Gah, I love you guys." Ino said, her pink lips turning up in a smile that made her face hurt.

Choji and Shikamaru didn't answer her. Choji offered one of his chili cheese fries affectionately instead, while Shikamaru just flushed and went back to glaring at his food.

After accepting Choji's fry, Ino turned to her other male companion. "I love the blush Shikamaru gets whenever I say things like that." Ino said, catching his face in her hands. His flush doubled when her cool fingers rubbed absently at the small stubble growing there. He didn't know it, but Ino very much enjoyed the way the small hairs prickled at her fingers, as any girl would. "Aw, look, he's blushing even more!"

Shikamaru scowled at her and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands off of his face. His hands swallowed her small ones whole, and Ino had to refrain from following any stray thoughts were heading in the direction of _big hands_. Nearly blushing herself at her train of thought. She hated being a teenager sometimes.

Ino and Choji laughed at the uncomfortable air around him, "Stop it." he murmured.

Ino just laughed more, before sighing and tossing a French fry into her mouth. "So, this Temari-San? You like her?"

Shikamaru scowl darkened. "It's not like that."

"It's funny; I seem to recall Naruto saying that you said the same thing last year when he saw the two of you walking through the village." Ino said, Choji nodded before adding to her statement, "Not to mention, when it was time for Temari-San to leave the village, you-" Choji's words were cut off by a scathing glare from Shikamaru.

Ino glanced at Choji, "He what?"

Choji smiled, "He woke up early just to escort her to the gates."

Ino made an encouraging sound of surprise, while she smiled broadly at the very much embarrassed Shikamaru. Shikamaru grimaced and looked at Ino, "Like I said, it's not like that. It was part of my mission to escort her around town."

Choji smirked, "You sure did take such an easy mission seriously Shikamaru."

Shikamaru frowned at his friend, "I always take my missions seriously Choji."

Ino nodded and closed her eyes as she took in a dark bubbly drink. "You can't argue with that. Shikamaru has to be one of the most dedicated shinobi I know." It wasn't a left-handed compliment.

Unexpectedly Shikamaru blushed again and Ino nearly spit out her drink as she choked on her laughs, "Man, I'm on a roll tonight." Inwardly, Ino acknowledged that it was most likely the heat of the spotlight on Shikamaru that was making him blush, not her added sentiments.

Shikamaru glared at her and leaned over to pinch her thigh. "Ow!" Ino yelped, "That hurt!"

In return, Ino leaned over and pinched at Shikamaru's bicep through his dark green shirt. Shikamaru glared at her and Choji sighed, getting up from his bar stool as Ino and Shikamaru started their normal routine. He led them to the door, where his friends briefly stopped what Choji called their_ Game_ to pay the hostess for the meal.

Shikamaru completely forgot about the scroll he was supposed to give Ino, he didn't however forget to tell Choji about it after they'd dropped Ino off at her apartment.

* * *

><p>That night, Shikamaru went to sleep with regrets about waking up so early as to leave for Suna in the morning, but still anxiously awaiting the half vacation where he would most likely get to see the future Hokage climb a rank- if not two. Shikamaru knew that Tsunade-Sama was just itching to give Naruto the opportunity to prove himself the way he so dreamed of doing.<p>

While Shikamaru dreamed, not a good, but not a bad, dream about Temari-San, Ino lay a few compounds away thinking about the training she was going to miss while she was away in Sand. She couldn't miss this trip though, not with all the benefits it presented. The chance to hook Shikamaru up with _Kazekage's_ sister? Once in a lifetime. The chance to watch Konoha's 'Best-Timed' ninja be promoted? Also, a once in a lifetime chance. All the Suna boys who'd be, no doubt, looking for a no-strings-attached relationship? Something she would be unable to turn down. She could only hope that this Chunin exam didn't end like her own.

Choji, of course, went to sleep with sweet dreams about the all the Sand-Specialty foods he'd get to ingest.

The next morning, the three met up and went about with normal routine for missions, because though this was simply a mission out of respect for Suna, it was still a mission.

They left Konoha around six in the morning, fairly early for a mission such as this. It was agreed though, between Ino and Choji, that they wanted to get to Sand as soon as possible. Shikamaru could have easily waited a few more years before he saw Temari-San again. When Shikmaru told his friends of this Ino had merely called him a coward.

"Are you sure he wants to go Choji? I'm not too sure." Ino said, looking back to her slow teammate with an easy smile.

Choji laughed, "Oh yeah, he wants to see Temari."

Very quickly a rock hit Choji in the back of the head, when Choji turned around Shikamaru was ignoring him and staring sullenly ahead. Choji rolled his eyes, "For someone so smart, you'd think he'd be a bit more mature."

Shikamaru made a disgruntled noise from behind his two teammates. "You two constantly over estimate the limits of brain-power."

Ino turned dryly back to her teammate, jumping backwards, leaving her vulnerable should anyone attack them from out of nowhere. She had no fears though, her teammates had her back. "On the contrary, I think you underestimate it Shikamaru. That's one thing you've always done so well, underestimate yourself."

_Leave it to Ino to turn everything into a pep talk. _Shikamaru thought to himself.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and said to Choji, "Isn't it funny how she always plays as support?" knowing that it would ruffle the Yamanaka's feathers a bit.

Choji only rolled his eyes in response, "Can you two not stop for ten minutes?"

"She's the one who starts it." Shikamaru said begrudingly, pointing a finger in Ino's direction. It was times like this that Choji missed Asuma-Sensei, how was it that Choji ended up being the one for Ino and Shikamaru to lean on? Who was he supposed to turn to?

"You are so childish Shikamaru. I can honestly say that I don't understand what those girls see in you." Ino said, turning around again and flicking her long ponytail over her shoulder. It was a lie, she knew very well what they saw in him.

Shikamaru glared at her back icily, "You'd think a girl who's supposed to be good at espionage missions would know how to lie convincingly." his said slowly, his voice was low and the rumble in his chest could barely be understood by Ino.

Ino visibly bristled at that, "Excuse me? I'm not lying and if I was- at least I don't stutter like someone else on our team!"

"I do not stutter!" Shikamaru said, his voice raising as he glared at Ino with an expression between annoyance and bored.

"Really?" Ino said, "What about that time when-"

Choji cut her off, "Guys! Seriously, will you both just shut up?"

Shikamaru and Ino glared at each other before sharply turning their attention back to the forest.

"Troublesome girl." Shikamaru said beneath his breath.

There was a moment's silence, when Choji thought Ino would just ignore Shikamaru and he glanced at her, surprised, only to see the back of her head as she turned and flung herself at Shikamaru.

"I am not a girl, I am a _woman_!" Ino yelled indignantly, Shikamaru only looked at her with trepidation as he swiftly avoided her and joined Choji in the front of their trio. His speed was twice as fast as what he was going before.

As Shikamaru passed Choji, Ino followed behind him gaining speed. This only served to speed up Shikamaru even more, and as Ino gained on Choji she indiscriminately winked at him.

Choji couldn't help but think to himself, _'For a guy so smart you'd think he'd be able to see through _Ino's _plots_. _He underestimates her_.'

As it would be, Ino knew Shikamaru better than anyone in the village- aside from his own father and Choji, she knew how to manipulate the most manipulative guy of _all-time, _and that was by doing things he didn't expect- by putting up acts. Ino had a strong talent at that.

It was, her acting skills that is, which made her such a good kunoichi and put her on the Hokage's list of students soon to be taught in the art of being a courtesan. The sooner Ino was taught, the sooner Ino would be able to accept the vastly understaffed job of being a full espionage kunoichi.

Inoichi didn't care what Chouza and Shikaku said, he had faith in his little girl.

* * *

><p>Ino stood, at the edge of the forest with her two -what seemed like- lifelong partners. It was their last break before they would be leaving the cover of the trees and Ino was embracing the shade for as long as she could. "I think I might be regretting this." Ino said, glancing to her white arms.<p>

Shikamaru gave dry laugh, "It's a pity, we wouldn't want that beautiful skin of yours to get burned, would we?" He tucked his hands in his pockets as he stared at her with a bored expression. "Come on Ino, you're not going to lose the pale tone you've strived _so hard _for."

Ino glared at Shikamaru, "As if you would know, you're so tan you practically look like you grew up on the sun." Subconsciously she rubbed at her bare arms, "Tan lines are not attractive on me Shikamaru."

There were a few moments where Shikamaru debated what he would say next. "Well, that's too bad because there's nothing me and Choji can do." _Whining, nagging, screaming, is that all women can do?_

Ino's gaze hardened on Shikamaru, "What's with you? You've been really mean ever since we left the gates."

Shikamaru's shoulders pinched up to his ears and stayed there for a few seconds before dropping down. He rolled his neck as he said to her, "I'm tired."

Ino let out a long sigh and looked at Shikamaru with a slightly annoyed expression. "As soon as we get to Sand then, you're taking a nap. I can't take any more of this snappy Shikamaru. It's bad enough when you're actually being you."

Shikamaru shot her a nasty look from the corner of his eye, but he said nothing. He was happy to be _allowed_ to sleep by the _princess_.

Choji spoke up, "I'm actually pretty tired too. Can I take a nap when we get there too?"

Ino grimaced; she'd wanted a nap herself. "Yeah sure, I'll make sure everything gets done."

Shikamaru noted her slightly upset face, "Choji, I think your nap will have to wait. The _princess_ wanted some beauty sleep once we got to Suna." His brown eyes flickered as he watched for her reaction; he chalked it up to being ornery without sleep. To provoke a wild pig was dangerous, and he would never do so when his thoughts were lucid.

Ino ignored him, when she knew that he was deliberately provoking her she knew it was best to not respond- Shikamaru could actually be really _mean_ when he _wanted _to be. Then again, he could do everything well when he _wanted_ to.

"Oh really Ino? You should've just said so, I'm not that tired." Choji said, "You can take nap if you really want to."

Ino turned to Choji with a look of endearment, "That's fine Choji, I can wait. You don't need to stay up just because I want to sleep."

Shikamaru looked between them with a look of irritation. Choji answered Ino with, "Oh really, it's fine. I don't mind at all, someone as pretty as you needs your sleep, unlike me." Shikamaru let out an annoyed scoff at that and rolled his black eyes to the heavens. That was just ridiculous and totally uncalled for. They were wasting time.

"Oh Choji! Really its fine, you said you wanted sleep first." Ino said, looking at him with a look that said _'You are too sweet!'_

"No, no, no, you're a lady." With that slight jab, Choji glared at Shikamaru. Shikamaru responded by quirking an eyebrow. "Ladies needs come first."

"Really Choji- its fi-" Ino started before she was abruptly cut off by Shikamaru, "Okay, we get it, if you're really going to stand here and discuss this for hours than I'm going to go take my nap _now_."

Ino glared at Shikamaru before huffing and turning to Choji, "You ready to leave?"

Choji nodded his head and Ino smiled in return, setting back out as the leader of their small group. As soon as Choji thought she was out of ear shot he turned to Shikamaru.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Choji asked, slightly irritated with the vested Chunin.

"I had weird dreams." Shikamaru said in a disgruntled manner. _Really_, he thought to himself, _why does everyone always side with the princess?_ His hand came out from his pockets and he played with the lighter he always kept there. Tossing the lid up and down, before tossing the lid up, flicking at the knob, and hitting the lid back down, he repeated the motion constantly.

"Bad ones?" Choji asked, immediately concerned for his friend.

_Ah,_ Shikamaru thought, _that's more like it. I like you better when you're not more concerned about girls._ "Ah, no not really." came Shikamaru's answering grunt. "Just bothersome."

Choji nodded his head in understanding, "The kind where you wake up feeling nagged?" He got those all the time; his dad said it was from eating vegetables.

Shikamaru only made a noise of approval as he started off through the forest, they were far enough from Ino that they couldn't see or hear her, but could still feel her chakra signature. A small smile flit across his eternally irritated face.

"What was it about?" Choji asked quietly.

Shikamaru let out a huge gush of air; he'd thought their conversation was over. "Nothing too life changing, my mind's just preoccupied with the chunin exams and that stupid scroll I'm supposed to give Ino."

"You said it was courteasan right?" Choji paused as he scratched at a barely noticable five o'clock shadow. "I still don't like the idea."

Shikamaru grunted, his face showing no sign of any emotion aside from irritation. "Ino will love it."

Choji didn't answer his friend, choosing to let the conversation fall. Suddenly, and idea occured to him. Shikamaru had said he'd had dreams of the chunin exams...

Choji watched Shikamaru with appraising eyes, "Do you really not want to go?" his face twisted as he asked, almost as though he couldn't imagine it.

Shikamaru gave Choji a dull look, "Of course not."

Choji gave him an exasperated look in retaliation, "Of course not what?"

Shikamaru raised an arm to scratch at the back of his neck, "Of course that's not it."

Choji looked at Shikamaru with a confused expression, "Then what's up?"

Shikamaru didn't answer for a long time and Choji thought that the conversation might've been over. Closing his eyes to rub at his eyelids Shikamaru sighed and tried to think of how to respond, "You know I don't like to talk about my feelings. It causes nothing but trouble in our line of work."

Choji tried to cover his smile, "I knew it. I _knew_ that you liked Temari." Choji's voice was quiet, dripping with self-satisfaction, and entirely to irritating for Shikamaru to handle.

"I already told you, it's not like that." The wind was whipping Shikamaru's hair out of his ponytail, it was only another thing added to the already long list of _troublesome_ things that were happening because of this trip.

"Oh really, then what's it like?" Choji said, now teasing his teammate. Shikamaru didn't appreciate the joking tone.

A hand fell down Shikamaru's face in a show of annoyance. "Not like that, I don't like her."

Choji only bellowed a laugh, "Well, you know Ino is going to try and get you two to 'go out'."

Shikamaru cast Choji a questioning look, "Ino is going to _make_ me like Temari?"

Choji hummed his response, a closed lip smile lighting up his face. She would try her best, although Choji was fairly sure Shikamaru _already_ liked Temari, just not in the way he liked other girls.

Shikamaru looked at him like he was crazy, "And why would she do that?"

Choji snickered and looked at Shikamaru, "You know Ino, she can't keep her nose out of anything."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in agreement, tilting his head to the side. "That's true." He turned his head away so that Choji wouldn't see his expression. _Stupid Ino, meddling wherever she can, sometimes I wish she would just leave things alone._

Choji caught his movement; it wasn't rare that Shikamaru tried to hide things that bothered him, Choji had grown accustomed to the barely noticable shift in emotions from him. Enough to notice when things were sincerely bothering him. Looking back on their conversation Choji tried to piece together what it was that had upset his friend. With a sudden ringing clarity he felt he knew. He had been fairly sure before that things hadn't changed since their Genin days but he hadn't known. "Come on Shikamaru, you can tell me, I'm pretty sure I already know."

"As soon as I say it _all hell will break lose_." Shikamaru said, his face twisting into an ugly expression.

Choji sighed, let down, the high he'd been on a few minutes ago completely gone. "If you ignore it, it'll never go away."

Shikamaru grimaced in response, "Maybe not, but it may simmer down."

Choji didn't answer his friend, he was too caught up in the fact that Shikamaru was _still_ hung up Ino.

"I can't stand her." Shikamaru said, glaring daggers at the teammate who was somewhere ahead of him and Choji.

Choji only sighed and ruffled at his long, auburn hair. "You can't stand the situation." he corrected.

Shikamaru only sighed and glanced at Choji, "This is why I don't like women. They cause nothing but trouble."

Choji could only cast his friend a supporting smile.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, after the scalding sun had set, the trio arrived at their final destination. Shikamaru leading the way, as Ino and Choji had never actually been to Sand. It was normal for them to follow him blindly, so when Shikamaru took the lead they didn't even think about it.<p>

"This is Suna? I'll tell you what; I never would've found it." Choji said, looking at his dark haired friend.

Ino frowned, pressing fingers to her red cheeks, and tried not to hiss at the pain on her shoulders as her clothes shifted over them. Right, she totally wouldn't burn. She cast Shikamaru a dirty look and in return he frowned at her. "It's your problem, not mine." he said simply. He thought it was what she deserved for being so vain.

"Can we just get inside? All this wide open space is making me nervous." Ino said, pouting.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked up to the Sand Gates, a few minutes later he motioned for them to walk forward and stepped in, leaving them behind. His two friends watched him silently, both wondering how to tell the other what they were feeling. Ino decided to speak first, the silence had grown too unbearable for her, she needed to ask Choji if he felt the same way as she did.

"Why is it that all of a sudden I feel like things are going to get seriously screwed over?" Ino asked Choji, her voice small.

He looked over at her, shocked; it was a day when pigs flew that Ino ever sounded so unsure. "Shikamaru is friends with the Sand Siblings, I'm sure it'll only be awkward for us for a little while."

Ino looked at Choji, her eyes slightly unsure. "Really? Shikamaru's been angry at me this entire trip, and now I feel like I'm going to be following him around."

Choji smiled reassuringly in her direction, "You'll make plenty of friends Ino." He didn't know how she wouldn't; everyone loved Ino wholeheartedly back home. Then again, they'd all grown up falling victim to her antics- they were used to her.

There were a few beats silence as Ino studied the Sand. Choji watched her openly, knowing that Ino was definitely not finished speaking. Suddenly Ino turned to him, a determined expression on her face, her smile blinding, "That's right! If Shikamaru can make friends, then I know I can!"

Choji laughed at that and nodded happily. "Of course."

Shikamaru turned to them from a few hundred feet away, "Guys! Aren't you coming? They need to close the gates."

Ino's bright smile dropped as she turned to Shikamaru, her shoulders dropping, irritated. "We're _coming_ Shikamaru! Geez."

Choji ran forward to the gates, while Ino walked slowly behind him. Faintly, she could see the outline of three people standing behind Shikamaru. Her heart beat fast in her chest, talk about intimidating. Two Sand Jounin and the Kazekage were her welcoming party. Sure she knew them, but not _well_.

As Choji caught up to Shikamaru and the three Sand Nin, Kankuro turned to him. "You're teammate is hot." Choji choked on a laugh, surprised at his bluntness, as Shikamaru sent him the 'Are you crazy?' look. Gaara stood silently beside his brother, his eyes trained on the blond ninja a short distance away.

Temari, stood next to Shikamaru, her hand cocked on her hip in a show of femininity while the other rested over her fan. The two were strongly aware of the other standing next to them, though they didn't show it. Shikamaru sighed, annoyed, and called to Ino, "Ino! Pick up the pace!"

Ino stopped in her tracks. "Why don't you _make_ me Shikamaru?"

Kankuro snickered, "Geez Nara, can't even keep control over your team."

Shikamaru sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. "No one can keep control of _her_. She has got to be the most _irritating_ girl on the planet."

Gaara turned to the leaf Chunin, "The two of you aren't normally like this. Has something happened?" his face stayed blank the entire time he spoke. Choji couldn't help find it odd that the Kazekage was always so emotionally invested in things but never showed it. He supposed it was something he and Shikamaru had in common, though Shikamaru at least showed a little bit of emotion- the Kazekage was totally straight-faced.

Shikamaru shook his head, "No, tensions are just a bit high. Ino doesn't know it, but the Hokage has recently been considering teaching her how to Court. Choji and I aren't too keen on the idea, Courtesan Arts are the first thing female ANBU agents learn in Konoha. We all know the survival rates of ANBU."

Kankuro turned his head from Shikamaru to appraise Ino, "I'm sure she'd go far though." Choji coughed.

Temari cast her brother an annoyed look, "Keep your pervy thoughts to yourself." She turned to Shikamaru, "Why should you be worried? If it's what she wants, it's what she wants. You won't be able to keep her from doing what she feels she should, and she most likely will feel she should. If I've heard correctly Konoha is in desperate need of Courting Kunoichi." she consoled, her stone-hard voice soft to Shikamaru. Shikamaru couldn't help but think to himself, _bothersome woman_.

Choji laughed, "Not only that, but you have to consider her pride. You guys don't know Ino like we do, there's no way she'll turn down Lady Tsunade's offer. She'd take it just to rub it in Sakura's face."

They all laughed, they remembered the pink haired Kunoichi from their many exploits with Naruto. "Do they not like each other?" Kankuro asked, his eyes had yet to leave the _still_ unmoving blond a few hundred feet away.

Choji answered him, "Au contraire, they're best friends."

Shikamaru cast Choji a dry look, "Not to mention Inoichi, who'll be so proud that his daughter's on the ANBU watch-list."

Choji groaned, "Our dad's will go crazy, they'll make us start training like there's no tomorrow."

Gaara looked at them blankly. Shikamaru told him, "Our dad's were all on the same team-"

"I'm very aware." the Kazekage cut him off.

Shikamaru kept his bored look, while Choji looked vaguely surprised. How did Naruto make friends with people like this?

"Gaara let him finish." Temari scolded her brother.

"And they never stop giving Inoichi a hard time about having a daughter." Shikamaru said, smoothing the hair in his ponytail.

Kankuro asked him, "So if- Ino right? - Joins ANBU, your dad will be pushing you to-"

"Become Hokage." He pulled at the skin on his face tiredly, "I can't get in Naruto's way, Kami knows if I even _tried_ to become Hokage Naruto would set so many pranks on me, and I just wouldn't be able to live with the guy. I'd probably be arrested for attempt at murder before _either_ of us could become Hokage."

Kankuro laughed, "Are you going to get your teammate, or do you want me to? She looks like she's not going to move."

Shikamaru sighed, casting a tired look in Ino's direction. "Have at it."

Kankuro clapped his hands together, "Goody."

Kankuro left them for the blond Kunoichi, a few quick flirtatious comments coming to his mind, he pushed them aside distractedly. He would do this _right_.

Shikamaru watched the puppet master with raised eyebrows, he turned to Choji. "You think he'll be able to get her to move?"

Choji just sighed, a happy smile on his face. "Props to him if he does."

Temari turned to Shikamaru, after watching her brother for a few minutes trying to convince the girl to come inside. "She seems stubborn."

The sound of a loud slap rang through their ears, louder than Shikamaru had expected. It seemed Sakura had taught Ino a few things.

Stepping forward to _pull _his teammate through the gates by her hair he responded, an unhappy scowl on his face. "You have no idea."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru had broken a sweat, which was beyond irritating. Being the captain of the team, he expected his subordinates to listen to him, but alas, Ino served to be as stubborn as her name made her out to be. "Ino, I'm not in the mood for this. I'm tired."<p>

Ino cast him a pissed off look, "You think you can talk to me like that and expect to go?" She scoffed and cocked her hip while crossing her arms. "As if, you can't order me around Shikamaru."

"Really?" Shikamaru asked, "Because the last I checked, I can. I'm the squad leader here, which you means you have to listen to me." Shikamaru watched her, irritated with her antics. Could she not ever do anything he asked without backtalk?

Kankuro stood behind Shikamaru, his hand pressed to his painted face. A sad frown pulling down on the corners of his mouth. His face otherwise was completely amused, it was kind of like those moments when you were crying and someone made you laugh. Moments like that only served to piss him off.

"You don't have to rehash all the lessons from the Academy, I'm not stupid Shikamaru. You're just getting on my nerves." Ino said, her eyebrows were raised in an expression that said, _'I dare you to try something.'_

Shikamaru, of course, had no choice. He had to get her in the gates somehow, and so with a resounding sigh he slipped into a shinobi mind frame.

Almost immediately Ino's demeanor changed. "Give me your best shot Shikamaru!" she said, a smirk crossing her face. Temari couldn't help but roll her eyes a few meters away from them "Stupid."

Ino turned to her immediately. She had already been in a bad mood, mix it together with the reoccurring bad history with the Sand Kunoichi and you got a very ruffled Leaf Kunoichi. "You want to say that to my face?"

Shikamaru sighed, he hated to get on Ino's bad side by pulling an underhanded move, but he needed to get her inside the gates. Forming the hand seals he quickly caught Ino in his kagemane no jutsu. He couldn't decide whether it was a 'success' or not.

It didn't take her five seconds to notice it, almost immediately she yelled to Shikamaru, "Lazy ass! That's cheating!" it seemed she had forgotten the multi-ponytailed girl standing off the side- who was now looking at Ino like she was utterly moronic.

"There're no rules in true combat Ino." Shikamaru said, stepping towards her. She stepped forward in time with him.

Shikamaru sighed heavily and reached for the bottom of Ino's ponytail, "See, I told you someone would use this against you."

"You suck." Ino said petulantly. In Kankuro's eyes her pout was adorable, in Shikamaru's it was annoying.

Shikamaru released the jutsu, but kept a tight grip on her hair. He glanced down at her, only to find her glaring up at him unhappily. "What are you, five?" Shikamaru asked, pulling slightly harder on her hair.

She followed instinctively in the direction he'd led her. She couldn't much see with trying to keep her head down, but she knew where they were going anyway- she had been avoiding it for the past fifteen minutes.

After Ino noted that they had passed over the shadows of the gates doors, she glanced up at her captor and said, "Squad leader." respectively, before walking away. It wasn't fair, she never won against Shikamaru.

Shikamaru relaxed, his hands falling back into his pockets, leaning to his left side. "Glad to see were on the same page." he called to his teammate.

"Stubborn, smart, and beautiful, I think I might be in love." Kankuro said from behind Shikamaru. He smiled to himself, really, she was just too great.

Shikamaru half turned to him, "Be careful what you wish for." Shikamaru sighed heavily, "Doesn't matter if you set your sights on her, the only men she see's are one's that don't see her."

Kankuro looked at him, "Isn't that a bit anticlimactic?"

Shikamaru looked at him, "You're not the one she always comes running too, don't complain." he scratched at the back of his neck absently and set his hands in his pockets. "It's actually kind of sad."

Kankuro looked at him, surprised, "You don't seem like the type to console."

"I'm not." Shikamaru answered, "But I have a respect for women, especially one's who're crying."

Kankuro frowned, a crease forming between his brows, "_She_ doesn't seem like the type to cry a lot."

Shikamaru looked over at him for a few moments before he decided to answer. A million thoughts were running through his head, all too annoying to linger on. "She doesn't, but that makes it all the worse when she does."

Kankuro's eyebrows shot sky high, "That makes enough sense."

Shikamaru sighed and turned towards the Sand nin, "Listen, Ino isn't the type to glance twice at guys like you. I'd just stay away from her if I were in your shoes. It'd be too bothersome if you didn't."

Kankuro gave him a stony stare, "You're not me, maybe that's why you're still in the position you're in."

Kankuro pushed passed him coldly, knocking him in the shoulder. "Deal with yourself before you get involved with my sister."

_Ah_, Shikamaru thought,_ that didn't come out the way I meant it to._ How irritating, things were already off to a rough start. _No thanks to Ino,_ Shikamaru thought,_ troublesome girl._

Ahead of him he could see Ino trying to gain Gaara's attention, Kankuro following after her. _This is just ridiculous; I'm already not enjoying this. Why did I even invite Ino?_ He mentally slapped himself, _because you're a coward_.

He glanced to Temari who was talking happily with Choji, _Dear Kami, please help me_.

Choji looked over and waved in a way that signaled Shikamaru to join them_, _unsure Shikamaru started towards him. They met him halfway, "You want to go to dinner tonight?" Temari asked, her face as carefully blank as ever, with only a small twinkle in her eyes. Choji followed up after her, "She heard that Naruto wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow, Kakashi-Senpai held them up."

"Of course he did." Shikamaru shook his head tiredly, "Sure, dinner sounds fine. I'm taking a nap first though, it's a pity you all don't have any grass here."

Temari didn't ask what he meant, though she was fairly intrigued. "Where did your teammate go?" she asked, where did her brothers go as well?

Choji laughed, "Knowing Ino she probably off trying to find her way to the inn were staying at." Choji turned to Shikamaru, "You want me to go find her?"

_Ah, not quite Choji._ Shikamaru thought, panicking._ I just need a few more minutes to gather myself_. "Ah, actually I'm fairly sure I know where she went."

Choji's eyebrows rose and he glanced at Temari. _Shit,_ Shikamaru thought, _Where is she going to go?_

"I'm sure my brothers are with her, so I'll go with you." She said, sending him a small smile.

_Please Choji, ple- _"Great! I think I saw a food stall back a few feet- so I'm going to go and grab something. I'll catch up with you later!" Choji waved goodbye and winked at Shikamaru who merely stared blankly back.

Temari turned to him with a mega-watt smile, "Is there a reason your trying to avoid me?"

Shikamaru couldn't help but slump over, "That's why. Irritating woman_."_

Temari laughed at him, overjoyed with being reunited with him after what had seemed like decades. "You're such a coward!"

Shikamaru grunted, a small smile on his face. "Believe me, I know."

* * *

><p>Later that night Ino prepared to go out to dinner with her team and the Sand Siblings. Thinking on it, she hated how they had a title like that. What did her team have? Team 10, how spectacular and totally original.<p>

She mentally sighed, it wasn't fair. This day hadn't turned out at all like she had hoped. Shikamaru had been in a pissy mood, Gaara had ignored her, Kankuro had perversely hit on her, and her old - yet somehow subtle - rivalry with Temari had resurfaced. The latter of all those had been the most unsettling, she had sincerely hoped that this time meeting her would be different from all the other times. Yet, old habits die hard, and yet again she felt the need to prove herself.

Kankuro, however, served to be his own problem. She could not accept him having any interest in her. Gaara seemed the type that even if he did genuinely like someone, he would sacrifice his own feelings for his families happiness. She didn't want Gaara to have to make that decision.

It was difficult though because, admittedly, Ino liked the attention she had gotten from Kankuro earlier in the day. Though it was ridiculously disgusting and innuendous, she couldn't help but feel flattered. So due to her appreciation of Kankuro's feelings she didn't want to be to crude in letting him down, not to mention not wanting to set his siblings on her. Which made everything at least ten times harder than it already was.

She sighed, hoping that Shikamaru was back to himself. She felt out of place in Sand, like she didn't belong there. Which, she supposed was true, she didn't belong in Sunagakure. She'd be lying though if she said this wasn't the first time she had felt out of her element. Shikamaru was supposed to be the smart one who always knew how to get her out of a jam; he was supposed to be her friend. She was in a jam now; she had no friends other than he and Choji here. Yet, she couldn't help but feel that their friendship had been dragged to hell and back after today, and that he was in no way eager to help her out.

Pulling on a light purple dress, short of course, and letting her hair down, Ino left the room she was staying in to go meet everyone at the restaurant. She didn't bother with makeup, she didn't think she needed it and she wasn't in a particular hurry to impress anyone. Gaara seemed like he'd be the type to not care what you looked like.

In a moment of pure self consciousness, Ino wondered why she even bothered with love. It seemed like wherever she went, the boys she liked didn't like her back. Plus, being a Kunoichi and only keeping her eyes open to Shinobi left her with the possible outcome of losing a boyfriend in the field, something that was not too appealing.

Ino shook the thoughts from her head, she told herself love made everything better, even when nothing was wrong.

Shikamaru, who was on the other side of town waiting for his teammates to arrive, was thinking something along the same lines. Only coming to the conclusion that it was too troublesome to ponder such subjects without any real _reason_ to. To Shikamaru, the only real reason to think of things like that, would be impending doom.

As a hand pressed to his face, his mind traveled to thoughts of Temari. He didn't understand why everyone thought they had something, Shikamaru didn't hate the girl but he certainly didn't like her. She wasn't like Ino, she was calm and steady and yet still managed to be utterly annoying. Shikamaru would be lying if he said he felt anything more than friendship for the other girl, but he wouldn't be lying if he said that their friendship was different from any friendship's he'd had with other girls. When he was with Temari, he felt that she actually understood his disposition- she could look at him in a moment and instantly see through the 'annoying' cover up. While Ino could be with him for hours and not understand _at all_ what he meant when he said things. It was like he had his own language and Temari spoke it- unlike Ino, who would listen to him speak and just try to understand from the tone's his voice took on.

_Irritating,_ He thought, _the both of them._ One saw too much and one saw too little, one was too calm and one was too energetic, Shikamaru sighed, thinking _'how troublesome_, _I think I'm getting old. I'm starting to think like Dad, all about women._

Choji was the first to arrive; he waved at Shikamaru excitedly and came to sit with him. "So, what did you and Temari do?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Nothing much."

Choji gave him a deprived look, "Oh come on man! Don't lie to me, I know she did something."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed, "Well, she did say that she knew I was avoiding her."

Choji laughed and patted him on the back, "Can't say you weren't a bit obvious about it."

Shikamaru gave a shrug that kind of said '_Whatever_' and Choji smiled while he flagged down the waitress.

The Sand Siblings entered not long after, Temari sat next to Shikamaru naturally- almost as if she belonged there. Kankuro sat next to Choji, awaiting his blond teammate who would presumably sit next to the round leaf nin, while Gaara sat on the other side of Temari.

About twenty minutes later, Ino still had not arrived. Choji was beginning to get worried and Shikamaru just kept waving it off as her being 'fashionably late'.

After about twenty more minutes, and when the meal was winding down Choji stood from his seat and announced he was going to go find Ino. Shikamaru just nodded his head absently and waved his hand, Temari smiled at him as he left, and Kankuro stood and said he would help him find her.

"You're not worried about her?" Temari asked Shikamaru after the two had left.

Shikamaru frowned and picked at his noodles, "Even if I were worried about her she wouldn't want to see me when we found her stuck in garbage can on the outskirts of the village. In fact, it's probably better for my health if I don't go."

Temari looked at him, one eyebrow raised "Are you sure?"

Shikamaru looked at her, a deliberate annoyed frown on his face. "The only people Ino wouldn't get annoyed at if they rescued her would be the ones who would only do it out of the kindness of their hearts, not because they _actually_ care for her."

Temari nodded as she slurped loudly at her noodles, Shikamaru sent her annoyed glance, "Well, I'd check up on her tonight. There as to be a reason she wasn't here, even if I don't like her, she doesn't seem like the type of girl who only wants to get invited to things to not show up."

Shikamaru let out a huff of air, "We'll just end up fighting, I'm not in the mood to deal with her and she doesn't know _how_ to deal with me."

Temari let out a deep breath through her nose, "Whatever, I don't want to push you into things you don't want to do."

Shikamaru looked at her with his eyebrows raised, "Which means you do. Manipulation doesn't work to well with me." Most of the time.

"I just think that your teammate cares more about you than you realize." Temari said, pushing her steamed vegetables around the plate.

"I know that Ino cares about me, very deeply. The feeling is returned as well, but that doesn't stop us from getting on each other's nerves." Shikamaru said easily, it wasn't hard to admit that he and Ino had a bond. Just like it wasn't hard to admit that he and Choji did, though it was a bit different.

Temari watched him carefully, before setting her chopsticks down beside her plate. "Come on, let's go stargazing." She hopped off the stool and led him to the door.

Gaara sat silently, alone at the table. He sighed to himself, "Why is my sister so meddlesome? She's going to get herself hurt..."

* * *

><p>Ino had gotten lost, it was that simple.<p>

She looked around, the sun had set a _long_ time ago and now she was wandering aimlessly around the streets of Sunagakure. The village had some seriously creepy alleys; though Ino was fairly sure they served to be just as romantic as they were scary.

On more than one occasion had she caught someone following her, but she had shaken them off easily enough. Now, she was just looking to get back to her hotel room so she could take a bath, go to sleep, and her ignore her neglectful teammates in the morning.

Ino didn't mind missing dinner; in fact she was rather glad she had. Still, she wouldn't have been too upset had Shikamaru and Choji come looking for her. Instead, she was fairly sure she would've been comforted by their presence alongside her in a foreign city. It hadn't been to awfully frightening, Ino was aware of how to take care of herself, but it didn't take the uneasiness out of her shoulders the way Shikamaru would have had he been there to scare potential rapists off with his intimidating expressions.

That had been earlier though, the later it got the more Ino felt unsteady in the environment. Suna got really dark, really fast, and though she could easily see all the stars in the sky and actually wanted to stop and stare for a few minutes, she knew that if she did someone could easily sneak up on her and take advantage of the situation. Never mind the fact that Ino had not been able to take a nap after entering the gated community and was now ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Her mind wanted to play tricks on her it seemed, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a shadow dancing across the walls, epinephrine spiked her bloodstream and suddenly it seemed like she was seeing dancing shadows everywhere. Which was not good in the least, a kunoichi needed to at least be _senile_.

Suddenly, a hand clapped down on Ino's bare shoulder, warm from the dry air, and twisted her around. Another quickly smacked over her mouth to muffle her scream.

"Shut up!" he told her, "Kami, damned annoying." excuse his French.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so here are all the edited chapters all rolled into one nice long chappie. I decided to post it in another story and to repost chapters here after I edited them. That way, people who don't care about the qaulity and grammarspelling mistakes can get their chapters quickly and people who _do_ care can get their nice and clean (not to mention long) chapters. Stop by and leave me a review if you will! It would be greatly appreaciated! :)**

**This edited version will take a back seat to the unedited version but it will still be updated! Tell me if you think that I should focus more on the edited version than the unedited version, so I can know which one has more importance to my readers! **


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